Fundraiser Promotions Critical to Fundraising Success!

Keepin' it short and sweet today!

If you and your group host a fundraiser by doing what's included - the minimum, the expected, you'll raise the money typical to that effort.

If you host a promotion or contest in addition to your fundraiser (think duct tape, ice cream party, principal on roof) you'll get the returns above plus what comes out of galvanizing the team through the extra effort!

A team means more than just a group if you catch my drift.  It doesn't have to cost a lot and anyone can do it!  Seriously!!!

Host a promotion or contest on your fundraiser and see your revenue increase!  It's that easy and will create fundraising success!

Ok, until next time!

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The Right Approach to Elementary School Fundraisers

Elementary school fundraisers are an interesting thing and when accomplished well, they should be both profitable and feel good.  They should also not be intrusive.

So, short, quality and then super-profitable huh?


Yes.  

Pay attention to the signal-to-noise ratio (The amount of background noise versus the main event).  

In order to really achieve fundraising success, the goal should be to minimize school fundraisers - playing down anything that does not put the money in the hands of the parent group.  Once there are just a few manageable fundraisers throughout the year, it's time to focus.

Focus on a fundraiser that can raise a significant amount of funds in a short period of time.  For instance, if a product fundraiser can earn top-dollar running for only two weeks, great!  If a fundraiser minimizes distraction in the classroom, great!

Involve everyone.  The difference between 1 fundraiser and 10 all boils down to the importance of the fundraiser and the participation it garners.  If you want to succeed wildly, include everyone in the process, from the principal to the parents.  Making the fundraiser important makes it succeed.  This success is why you can get rid of the other fundraisers.

Next is feel good.  In order to have the perfect formula of fundraising success, everyone needs to be left feeling good.  Customers need quality products in exchange for their donations, the schools need to not hear complaints about product and the parent group has to have a manageable delivery.

So, the right approach.  Minimize distraction, focus, involve everyone and ensure satisfaction.  Sounds easy and it is in the right circumstances. But it can be a challenge as well.  Most schools focus less on one fundraiser and more on scheduling many smaller efforts throughout the year.

If nothing else, perhaps a school will put just a little more focus into a fundraiser than normal and see what happens.  I hope this post encourages you to do just that.  You may find that with more success comes less fundraising.

Ok, until next time!

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elementary school fundraisers

Fundraising Incentives and Fundraising Prizes

Everyone loves prizes!

There is something inherent in us that enjoys receiving a reward for our hard work.  Offering one grand prize or a number of smaller prizes along the way is a great way to create fundraising success.  Fundraising incentives work!

Kids will respond to the challenge of winning a prize and will then strive to win the next one.

Your school can offer a variety of incentive types (both short term and long term) such as an ice cream party, limo ride or extra recess.  You can offer drawing prizes or fun principal-based fundraising incentives such as the principal spending the day on the roof.

Fundraising incentives will keep your group motivated!

This is a no excuses post.  That means that there is no excuse for not offering a reward or incentive to your group on your next fundraiser.  Any reward at any level will help focus your sellers and create success!

Ok, until next time!

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fundraising prizes
101 low & no cost promotions for your fundraiser

Fundraising Revenues... Apples to Apples...

Guess what?  Schools don't compare and they don't choose fundraisers rationally.  Sorry. I know how that sounds.  But it's true. 

The good news is that everyone makes decisions in life that follow the same lack of true rational.  It's not just PTA and PTO presidents, it's everyone - everyday.

We make decisions based on emotion and security and we base them on feel and trust, etc.  So, what happens when a company that you trust let's you down and your school fundraising revenues fall?

Here is an example I just ran across involving a competitor who shall remain nameless other than to say they have a trusted name in the fundraising industry.

The school reports going from $12,000 raised last year to $8,000 raised this year.  The thing is, they went from 50% profit to 40% profit margin from last year to this year. 

Let's take a look at the numbers:


$12,000 @ 50% Profit Margin = $6,000 to School
$8,000 @ 40% Profit Margin = $3,200 to School

That's a 47% drop in revenue. 

The point here is - specifics matter! 

I get that we make decisions on relationships and trust and some other stuff but school fundraising is hard enough.  It shouldn't be a shot in the dark and it shouldn't be a difference of 47% from one year to the next.

There were certainly hints that this fundraiser wasn't going to perform the same as it had in the past but I am not sure the school was unaware of them.  Regardless, they didn't have a plan to make up the difference. 

So, if you are the fundraising chair or PTA / PTO president deciding on your fundraisers, please don't be afraid to ask the tough questions.  I know we're not really wired to do so but you owe it to your school to have a bit of predictability when it comes to your school fundraising.

A little tough questioning will equal fundraising consistency.  Ask the tough questions!

• Historic number of items sold per student
• Historic student participation rates
• Average item price

You get these three numbers and you should be able to estimate your fundraising success.

Hope this helps and I encourage your feedback by leaving a comment below!